2017 was packed to the brim with action. While Baahubali 2 and Dangal made big bucks this year, controversies such as film mogul Harvey Weinstein being outed as a sexual predator of monstrous proportion rocked Hollywood, on the other hand, Padmavati controversy, Kangana Ranaut standing up against nepotism, etc. hit the headlines in the year 2017. Às 2017 is nearing its end, we bring you a list of top 10 showbiz newsmakers of the year.
Padmavati controversy
From death threats to plot change, Deepika Padukone- Shahid Kapoor- Ranveer Singh starrer Padmavati is surrounded by constant controversies and subsequently, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period film 'Padmavati' became 2017 longest-running controversy.
Baahubali 2 and Dangal
Directed by SS Rajamouli, Prabhas, Rana Daggubati and Anushka Shetty starrer Baahubali 2: The Conclusion not just created a storm at the box office but also became the highest grosser of Bollywood till date.
On the other hand, post its opening in China this year, the record-shattering 2016 film Dangal’s final lifetime collection stood at over Rs. 2,000 crores worldwide and was named the fifth highest-grossing non-English film in history by Forbes in June.
Apparently, the worst break-up of Bollywood
Just when we thought the feud between Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan has ended, Kangana kicked the hornet’s nest afresh with her explosive interviews to 'Aap ki Adalat' with Rajat Sharma, Rajeev Masand, Barkha Dutt and Anupama Chopra.
From black magic to Aditya Pancholi, nepotism to Hrithik Roshan, Kangana fearlessly faced every question. Here’s the full episode of Kangana Ranaut in Aap Ki Adalat:
Harvey Weinstein branded as a sexual predator
This news came as a shock to Hollywood when in early October, the New York Times, reported that dozens of women including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow had accused Harvey Weinstein, a prominent film producer and executive, of engaging in sexual harassment, sexual assault, or rape. Shortly after the first allegations, he was fired from the company he founded, expelled from film bodies and his wife announced she was leaving him.
Pahlaj Nihalani vs Lipstick Under My Burkha
One of the best things that could happen to Bollywood in 2017 was the removal of Pahlaj Nihalani from the post of the CBFC chief. He became the focal point when the Censor Board rejected Lipstick Under My Burkha as 'lady-oriented'. What followed was a long battle with the board and its chief Pahlaj Nihalani. It finally saw the light of day when Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) intervened again and cleared the film awarding it a few cuts and an A certificate.
Nepotism
Kangana Ranaut made a rare appearance on Koffee With Karan this year and called filmmaker Karan Johar a "flagbearer of nepotism" and “movie-mafia” on his own chat show. Hence, began the debate about the prevalence of nepotism in the Hindi film industry. Not only this, the debate turned into a bigger controversy when Karan and actors Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan poked fun at Kangana and chanted "Nepotism rocks" at the IIFA Awards event in the US.
The Best Picture mix-up at the 2017 Oscars
The biggest night in Hollywood ended with a gaffe that will be remembered for decades: "La La Land" was announced as Best Picture, before it was revealed that "Moonlight" actually won the award. The auditing firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers later explained that the mistake was due to an envelope mix-up.
2017 most loved celebrity kid- Taimur Ali Khan
At 1, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s blue-eyed son slowly went on to rule news cycles each time he flashed a smile at the paparazzi lens. He is certainly one of the most talked about celebrity kids in the B-town and for all the right reasons. His single picture ends up grabbing headlines and puts a smile on million faces.
Abhay Deol’s view on endorsing fairness products
It takes a maverick like Abhay Deol to burst the carefully maintained bubble of Bollywood’s bloated and racist ego, because maybe he couldn’t care less. From targeting SRK, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor to Ileana D’Cruz, the actor slammed a debate around actors promoting fairness products by posting a series of posts and photos on his Facebook page.
Bollywood actresses being slut-shamed
There have been countless instances of actresses being body-shamed and slut-shamed for their photos on social media this year. Recent examples of slut-shaming: Dangal girl Fatima Sana Shaikh, for posting a swimsuit photo during Ramzan; Deepika Padukone, for her outfit in a magazine shoot, etc.
